1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a client system, a message exchanging method, and a recording medium and more specifically, to a client system, a message exchanging method, and a recording medium which allow a plurality of users to exchange messages on a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Network communications tools are conventionally available which allow users of client machines connected to a network represented by the Internet to exchange messages in real time.
Some tools allow two users to exchange messages on the Internet in real time using a unicast function (one-to-one communication). For example, one-to-one message exchanging tools for a multiwindow environment such as the ICQ (a trade mark of Milabilis in Israel) enable two users to exchange messages by displaying different screens for transmitted and received messages on the client machines.
Additionally, some tools use a multicast function (communication within a particular group from one user to a plurality of users), which allows multiple users to exchange messages on the Internet in real time, that is, to enjoy chats. Chat tools display within one screen chat messages transmitted to a chat room opened by a server machine and saved therein according to time series.
If a user uses the tool allowing two users to exchange messages in the multiwindow environment, the user must switch screens for each transmission or reception; these operations are cumbersome.
In addition, when two users are exchanging messages in real time using the one-to-one message exchanging tool and if one of the users receives a message from a third person who is known to these two users, the three users may desire to enjoy a chat. In this case, the use of the one-to-one message exchanging tool is stopped, one of the users opens a new chat room using the above-mentioned chat tool, and the three users then enter the chat room opened using the chat tool. It is, however, cumbersome to use these different network communications tools. This problem must be solved.